Creative Europe Programme “Markets & Networking”

Objective

• Within the specific objective of promoting competitiveness, scalability, cooperation, innovation and sustainability, including through mobility in the European audiovisual sector, one of the priorities of the MEDIA Strand is:
  • to nurture talents, competence and skills and to stimulate cross-border cooperation, mobility and innovation in the creation and production of European audiovisual works, encouraging collaboration across Member States with different audiovisual capacities.

Scope

• The MEDIA strand shall provide support for the following actions:
  • Support to networking activities for audiovisual professionals, including creators, and business-to-business exchanges and networking activities to facilitate to nurture and promote talents in the European audiovisual sector, and facilitate the development and distribution of European and international co-creations and coproductions;
  • Support the activities of European audiovisual operators at industry events and fairs in Europe and beyond.
• Cooperation of audiovisual professionals and promotion of European works are pursued by supporting two types of projects and activities:
  • Markets focusing on a specific type of films and innovative content, or networking of markets that present similar genre/topics or are located in the same region;
  • Networking activities and cooperation among networks across the whole value chain for the promotion of European talents and works.

Funding Information

• The estimated available call budget is EUR 16 500 000.
• Duration: Projects should not normally exceed 24 months.

Expected Results

• To improve the innovative aspect of existing European industry markets, and to increase their systemic impact;
• To encourage the creation of networks of markets;
• To encourage the development of networks among European professionals with the aim to co-create series;
• To promote sustainability and the greening process of the markets;
• To improve the competitiveness, circulation and promotion of European audiovisual works on international markets;
• To enhance diversity and inclusion in the markets and networks;
• To ensure that Europe’s audiovisual industry is taking full advantage of technological and business innovation.

Activities to be funded

• Markets:
  • Industry events, physical, digital or hybrid, focused on business-to-business exchanges among European audiovisual professionals, facilitating co-productions and sales and showing a structuring effect on the European audiovisual eco-system as well as impact on the promotion and sales of European audiovisual works on global markets.
  • Activities and events should adapt to current market trends and include innovative content (videogames, VR, XR, AI, cross-media), animation or genre audiovisual works.
    • Networks of markets, organised around a thematic basis or geographically, should increase their impact on the audiovisual industry. They can therefore cover e.g. several film markets of a specific region or e.g. several markets focussing on specific types of works (i.e. kids content, documentaries, animation, videogames, AR, VR) or both.
• Networking activities across the whole value chain:
  • These networking activities will contribute to the promotion of European works and consolidation of the audiovisual eco-system across the whole value chain.
  • These networks can propose either:
    • activities related to different existing markets within and outside the countries participating in the MEDIA strand. Such activities will include business-to-business promotional activities, including financial support to third parties, aimed at facilitating the distribution of European audiovisual works or exchange of best practices, with a particular focus on innovative technologies and business practices or
    • activities related to the co-creation of Series, leading to marketable and competitive European series.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
  • be legal entities (public or private bodies)
  • be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
    • Creative Europe Participating Countries:
      • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
      • non-EU countries:
        • listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature.
  • be established in one of the countries participating fully in the MEDIA strand of the Creative Europe Programme and be owned directly or indirectly, wholly or by majority participation, by nationals from such countries. When a company is publicly listed, the location of the stock exchange will in principle determine its nationality.
  • be independent European audiovisual production companies that can demonstrate recent experience in producing internationally distributed works.

For more information, visit EC.